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New Clinton Parody Musical Makes New York Debut

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It’s often been said that Hillary Clinton’s greatest campaign asset is her husband, by reminding voters of the prosperity of the 1990s. But Bill Clinton could also be one of his wife’s biggest liabilities, by reminding voters of the scandals that came through his White House.

Karl Kenzler and Alet Taylor perform a song from “Clinton: The Musical” during the New York Musical Theatre Festival special preview on July 2, 2014. (AFP/Timothy A. Clary)

“Clinton: The Musical,” making its U.S. debut Friday in New York, features a Hillary Clinton dealing with both sides of her husband – as separate characters. One is the distinguished, policy-oriented and presidential “W.J. Clinton.” The other is the reckless “Billy Clinton,” who likes to have fun.

The show’s cast and its producers say there’s no intent of having any impact on a potential Hillary Clinton presidential run.

Alet Taylor, who plays Hillary, calls her portrayal of a “loving parody.”

“I do hope that she runs,” Taylor told CBS News. “Yes, I would vote for Hillary.”

The play was written by Australian brothers Paul and Michael Hodge, who said they have no political ax to grind.

“Because we’re Australians, we’re neither Democrats or Republicans, so we don’t come in with any kind of viewpoint or agenda,” said Hodge. “I think we’re more interested in making people laugh, sometimes in a very silly and crass way, because we are Australians after all.”

In one scene from the play, W.J., Billy and Hillary are preparing the State of the Union address, which the president had to deliver in 1998 shortly after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. Plenty of innuendo is used as they struggle to find the correct words to use.

“It’s a lot like the odd couple; that’s sort of a timeless dynamic,” Karl Kenzler, who plays W.J. Clinton, told CBS. “You have the guy who’s always sort of screwing around and the guy who’s always sort of trying to get him to straighten up.”